


Southern Gothic

by RoxxiWells



Category: Country Music RPF, Music RPF
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-23
Updated: 2019-10-23
Packaged: 2020-12-31 19:14:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,536
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21150794
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RoxxiWells/pseuds/RoxxiWells
Summary: Sherry spends the summer with her cousin, Fancy. Chaos ensues.





	Southern Gothic

Summer came like every other summer and so did the days of swimming holes, sleepovers and walking down dirt roads barefoot. Sherry's parents had always shipped her off to her aunt's house down south every summer, and honestly, she didn't mind. It was nice to get away from the same old scenery for a while. She found a charm to the sticky sweet air and nonchalant tempo of everyone and everything. It was like a whole other place to her. No subway trains, no hot dog carts. There were docks and piers, but they seemed more like gateways to a dark watery other-world than the boardwalks she was accustomed to. 

Besides the atmosphere, she was also always excited to spend the summer with her favorite cousin, Bobbie. She was about to turn 18, so she was practically an adult too. Sherry looked up to Bobbie, whom everyone called Fancy since she was the only "girly-girl" among the majority of tom-boys. Fancy was someone she knew she could share hopes, dreams, and secrets with. She never treated her like a kid like everyone else seemed to. She listened, she paid attention. When you're on the edge of seventeen, that matters more than most people realize. 

That June would prove to be one of unforgettable hopes, dreams, and secrets. 

She and Fancy were slowly making their way down to the best swimming spot in the county. It was the perfect depth, not many currents or rapids, and had plenty of shade, being mostly under the towering wooden truss bridge. That bridge had always freaked her out. She didn't like crossing it because it was tall and didn't seem as stable as the concrete bridges she was used to at home. 

"Can we go down the trail on this side, instead of crossing?" Sherry implored. "You know I don't like that bridge" 

"The climb down on the other side is so much easier, and I don't feel like hiking today. You do know it's about ninety-four degrees out here?" Fancy protested. Sherry remembered that down here, Fancy is the boss, so she stopped her whining and took a deep breath, preparing for the inevitable anxiety. 

"So how was your junior year? Almost done with high school now, aren't you?"

"Classes have been fine. I think I remember something about Pythagoreans theorem, but mostly my attention has been elsewhere. Remember Frankie, that I had just started to go steady with around this time last year? Well, he's a rotten worm. I have a new outlook on life, and I don't have time and energy for worms. " 

"Oh, a new outlook, huh?" Fancy chuckled and gave her a stern look. "Sounds serious!" they continued their stroll across the old bridge, warm winds rushing over them.

"It is, you'll see. How about you, Ms. Fancy Pants? How have you and Billy Jo been?" 

"We're good, he's got a job up at the sawmill on Choctaw Ridge not too far from here, that way he can take me out to see picture shows or over to the honky-tonk. I can pull off looking twenty-one if I wear the right thing, y' know! I think I would marry him if he asked." Sherry hadn't ever even entertained the thought of marrying anyone, much less at their young age. But then, she also didn't have any contenders for that position either. 

They stopped in the center of the bridge to look over the muddy waters. Fancy looked Sherry over a few times. "you know, you seemed to have um. blossomed a bit over the last year. I bet you could pull off twenty-one too! We should all sneak out and go down to the honky-tonk, get some coca-colas and dance tonight!" 

"Are you sure we won't get caught?" Sherry half-whispered. 

"Nah, we'll be fine, no one cares as long as we don't cause no trouble" 

They finally got over the bridge to the small swimming hole and proceeded to wade into the questionable, but refreshing water. A few moments into floating, Sherry heard a rustling in the bushes on the riverbank, followed by soft giggles. They were not alone, but it didn't seem the other party was aware of the swimmers either. Sherry sank as low as she could into the water and moved to get a better look. It was a couple, possibly in their twenties. The woman had flaming locks of auburn hair, ivory skin, and eyes of emerald green. Her voice was soft like summer rain. She was simply enchanting. Sherry didn't catch enough of a glimpse of the man to tell what he looked like, but she was pretty sure by what she was overhearing, that his name was Seth. The longer she watched, the fewer clothes were being worn between the two of them, so she decided to swim back over to Fancy to let her in on the scandal. 

"Psst, quietly, check out the half-naked redhead in the bushes!" Fancy quickly paddled over to the shoreline, since she only knew of one redhead in the area, and she knew everyone on the Ridge. It had to be her sister-in-law, Jolene. She never liked Jolene, unlike everyone else who came in contact with her. She seemed too perfect, enough to be just slightly...off. She didn't like the way she treated her brother either. She had seen her looking at other men, especially Andy down at Webb's, flirting, basically daring him. Fancy didn't think she'd ever act on her ways, but apparently, she was wrong.

Fancy was furious. "That Amos boy, too, figures. If his momma knew...." she mumbled lowly as she signaled to Sherry it was time to head back to the farm. They got back out and made their way back across that creepy bridge and down the dirt road home. 

______

Later that night, Fancy gave Sherry a very adult make-over, including the lowest cut top she'd ever seen. She'd be lying if she said she didn't look a bit like Jolene herself, albeit with her lighter-colored red tresses. 

They only had one car in the family. Her aunt had it in town getting groceries, so they walked down to the local honky-tonk, Webb's, meeting up with Billy Joe on the way there. The place was hopping as usual, with your regulars. Men in leather jackets, pool cue in one hand, long-neck in the other. A haze of cigarette smoke fully encompassing every square inch of the place. The jukebox in the corner ringing out the last Carter Family song. Andy Wollow was at the bar, as always, a friendly face shining through the smoke. 

"The usual cherry coke Fancy," he said as he slid the glass of bubbling brown soda across the bar "What for your new friend?" 

"I'm Sherry, Fancy's cousin, and I'll have the same" 

Andy nodded and went to work on it. "By the way Fancy, when's your brother due back from Candle Top? It's been almost, what, two weeks now?" 

"Sometime soon, the next day or two, why?" 

"Just wondering. He's my best friend and I hadn't seen him around in a while. Also, I told him I'd keep Jolene company while he was gone" 

"Yeah, and how's that going? You ain't keeping her company right now"

"She's here somewhere, or at least was, right before y'all come in." He tried to look through the smoke, but couldn't find her. Andy shrugged it off and tended to the next thirsty customer. 

Fancy spun around on her barstool "I want to dance!" she squealed as she grabbed Sherry's wrist and pulled her with her to the jukebox to find the perfect song. After a few line dances and twirling around and scooting around, exhausted they sat back down. "Headed to the little girls' room" Fancy yelled to Sherry, in between heavy breathes. "Stay right here". On her way to the bathroom, through the smoke, she found Jolene. She was definitely still there, just like Andy had said. She was still there and she was poised like a snake to strike right at her man, Billy Joe. Staring him intently in the eyes, as she smiled and giggled and gently caressed his arm as he was talking. There was barely enough room between the two of them for the Holy Spirit, and Fancy was going to need the Holy Spirit in about fifteen seconds when she completely ditched the idea of the bathroom and set her sights on her Satan-in-law.

"Well, there you are!" she sweetly cooed to Billy Joe, as she pressed herself against his back and wrapped her arms around him. "looks like you found Jolene. She must be so bored down here, what, with my brother away for so long and all. I'm sure she appreciated the company, but I just threw a quarter in the machine, and I'm sure a slow sweet song is just seconds away and I need you to dance with me" 

"You can't argue with the woman," Billy Joe said and followed Fancy back to where she left Sherry. Jolene just stood there, seething. She always got what she wanted, and especially now that Fancy saw her as a threat, she wanted him even more. The rest of the night, she made it her mission to be in direct view of Billy Joe doing the most suggestive things she could. She could have had, and probably did at some point, all of the men in that bar that night, but she was focused on him. She would slowly lick the rim of her beer bottle, rub the pool cue while smirking, bend over the table as low as possible to make sure everything was fully visible. 

Fancy had gotten enough of having to fight for Billy Joe's attention and their feet had begun to get sore from the dancing, so they decided to call it a night and walk back home. Sherry stood by herself as Fancy walked Billy Joe up to his door. "You ain't got nothing to worry about baby, she's your sister in law, that would be weird. Plus, you know I ain't going nowhere. I'll always be right here" Billy Joe tucked a string of Fancy's pale blonde hair behind her ear and kissed her on the forehead before heading inside. The girls walked home that night high on drama with a touch of hatred. 

"What am I gonna do, Sherry? I'm so glad I've got you here, if I were alone, I wouldn't have anyone to talk to about this" Sherry was lost in her contemplation of the same question as they got in their pajamas and got ready for bed that night. What to do. Do they tell her brother when he gets back? Do they forget how she was acting and chalk it up to her probably being drunk? But what about what they saw at the river? 

"Can we just go and talk to her, have a little 'come to Jesus' moment? I think that is the best place to start instead of just butting in and telling your brother about everything." Sherry turned off the light. "Yeah, tomorrow afternoon, we'll go bring her a pie and ask to talk. Problem solved, we'll make a deal. We "didn't see" anything at the river, and she leaves Billy Joe alone" 

"I hope it's that easy," said Fancy as she rolled over and tried not to cry herself to sleep. 

__________

The next afternoon, they made what smelled like the world's sweetest, most delicious cherry pie. They covered it with a matching cherry dish towel so the dust from the dirt road didn't get kicked up in it and walked down to Jolene's small trailer. 

Sherry knocked on the wooden part of the screen door. The main door was open and her Jeep was in the driveway, so they knew she was home. No answer. 

"Jolene?" Fancy called out. 

"Jolene?" Sherry joined in with her. 

Still nothing. "Jolene, JOLEEEEEENE!" they both yelled. 

"In the kitchen" Jolene answered back in a sing-song voice, innocently, as if she were freaking Snow White. She sweetly welcomed them inside. "Coffee?" she asked as she poured herself a large mug full. "No, but we brought you a pie to say sorry for last night's hostility." Fancy sat the pie down on the countertop. "It's cherries. Straight off the tree in Fancy's yard. We spent the morning picking them!" Sherry excitedly added. In her most saccharine, drippy sweet 'bless your heart' voice, Jolene replied, "loves, you didn't have to do that..." 

"Well, we wanted to talk to you about something too. Can we sit?" Fancy motioned to the small wooden kitchen dinette set. Jolene gently took Fancy's hand as they sat beside each other, a slice of pie between them, "Of course, whatever is this about, sweet sister?" 

"Here it is. I know what you're up to. I spent all last night watching you throw yourself at my boyfriend. You have your own husband. And he's my brother. I don't like the way you've been treating him." Jolene feigned shock and offense. "I surely don't know what you're talking about, how dare you come into my home and..." 

"Jolene. I'm begging you. Don't take my man. We both know I can't compete with your beauty. He even talks about you in his sleep, he cries your name out loud. You've already invaded his head, please, please, please stay out of my bed. I can understand how you could very easily take him from me, but you don't know what he means to me. Even though you already have my brother, you could have your choice of men." 

Sherry coughed and said under her breathe "or already have." Jolene snapped her head around to glare at Sherry. 

"And what pray tell is that supposed to mean?" Jolene had finally dropped her fake southern belle facade and the venomous snake she really was had reared its head. 

"Well, the other day, we were at the river, down by the Tallahatchie bridge and we saw you with Seth Amos doing some things I don't think my cousin would enjoy hearing about when he gets home. We brought you this pie to ask that you leave Billy Joe alone or we'll tell your husband about Seth and the way you were acting last night." Fancy had noticed Jolene was slowly inching towards the knife on the counter that was used to slice the pie, so she snuck back by the door to the spot where she knew her brother kept his pistol, just in case things got intense. 

Jolene practically leapt to her feet. "You sneaky bitches, I swear if you either of you opens your mouth so much as to cough when he gets home, I will end you." The door to her bedroom slowly crept open and a young boy around nineteen walked out with a red satin sheet wrapped around his waist and nothing else. On his face was a mixture of confusion, hurt, anger and shame. Fancy's face matched his exactly as she shot daggers through Billy Joe.

"Seth too?" Billy Joe whispered

Jolene walked towards Fancy, arms open "look, sometimes these things just happen..." before she could finish explaining rage took over Fancy completely and she watched through teary eyes as she unloaded her brother's pistol point-blank into Jolene. After the adrenaline wore off, Fancy sank to the floor against the wall and just stared, stunned. The other two struggled to find words as well. About ten minutes later, Sherry, after processing what just happened, spoke. "What now?! We can't just leave her here. The salon will be looking for her when she doesn't show up for work. And the gun. We have to get rid of it!!" 

"I have an idea," said Billy Joe. "we can throw them both off the bridge. The gun is heavy enough to sink instantly and she should decompose and float down the river. That's how that works, right?" 

"Yeah, but what if someone sees us?" Sherry mumbled. 

"Don't worry, no one ever goes up to Choctaw Ridge, that place is always dead. The quicker the better, though. The body needs to get out of here before the nastiness sets in, and you know, because it's a dead body." 

Fancy stood up and wiped her face. "I'm the one that did this, so I should be the one to clean it up." 

"No, she's heavy, you'll need help. I'll be right back, I'm going to put my clothes back on. You should probably change into something from her closet too, you're about the same size. Your clothes are covered in blood spatter, they should go into the river too." 

"You two go ahead and I'll clean up here. I'm going to leave a letter saying she ran away, that should work" 

They wrapped her up in trash bags and threw her in the back of her Jeep. "Oh shit, the Jeep. We can't leave it here if she 'ran away'." 

"I got it! We'll go in the Jeep to my place, get my car, you can follow me out to the next county, and we'll leave it deep in the woods. 

"Sure."

At this point, everything was just a blur to Fancy. She was numb and still wrestling with the dread of what she'd done and the soul-crushing revelation of what Billy Joe had done too. 

After they had found a good densely forested area, their deed was done, but they still had to dispose of the gun. They went to the other side of the bridge and wrapped Fancy's clothes around the gun. Fancy threw the bundle into the river and turned to Billy Joe, sobbing in his arms. "It will be okay. Sherry's taking care of things too. You'll be fine. We'll be fine." At that time, the need for comforting overshadowed the betrayal and contempt she felt for him. Besides, she was sure it was mostly Jolene's fault anyways. 

______

They got back to Jolene's trailer, and they'd be damned if Sherry didn't have the place sparkling. She proudly handed them a piece of stationery with a large cursive "J" in the top left corner. It had also been sprayed with her perfume for an extra touch. It read: 

Dear husband, 

I'm sorry, but I can no longer live the life of a trucker's wife. I need excitement, I need someone who can devote themselves completely to my needs daily and not be away all the time. I'm moving on. Please don't come after me, it's no use. Even if you find me, I'm not coming back with you. I'll always think of you and the times we had. 

Love always, 

Jolene 

"It's scary how good you are at that, is this not your first murder?" Fancy asked, baffled. "It is, but sadly, I feel like it kind of comes naturally" Sherry shrugged. "Well, that's about all we can do besides hold our breath and pray no one figures this out. How about we go back down to Webbs, see if someone will buy us some booze and try to unwind a bit?" Sherry hugged Fancy tightly. "Take our minds off of it?" 

"Yeah, we don't need to be seen here, so that sounds good." Billy Joe sighed, took Fancy's hand and led her out the door. The drive to Webbs was silent and melancholy. When they got there, Fancy was able to use her low cut top and feminine wiles to convince a man who had come in alone to buy them each a beer. Poor guy had his hopes up, but Fancy's attitude turned to ice after the drinks were delivered. Another man came in alone too. After the smoke cleared up a bit, they realized who it was. 

"Oh shit, he's back! He can't see us here, not tonight..." Fancy began to hyperventilate. They ducked out and found a booth with high backed benches facing away from the bar, but close enough to still listen in. 

Her brother sat on the barstool in front of Andy who told him to. "I got bad news and it might sting a little" confessed Andy "Jolene's not home tonight. Ever since you left town, she's been spotted with Seth Amos." He did not take the news well at all. "Calm down, now. Honestly, and I'm telling you this because we've been friends forever, but... I've been seeing her myself too. Now I ain't proud of that" the look in big brother's eyes was that of pure rage. He watched the light in his eyes go out. Andy had never seen anything like it in his life, and honestly, it scared the hell out of him. Big brother hung his head low. "Bourbon. Straight" Andy handed him the drink with a shaky hand. He also found the other guy working that night and told him to take over the bar. He couldn't stand the awkwardness and guilt, he had to go home. He walked briskly on to his cabin fearing his friend may try to fight him. Luckily he wasn't being followed as far as he could tell. 

Fancy snuck low-key out of the booth with a whisper "there's something I have to do, I'll be back soon. Sherry, go 'run into him' and stall him as long as possible" She went out to Billy Joe's car and reached under the seat. She had snuck the gun under her shirt instead of throwing it with her clothes into the river. She wanted to keep it for protection but she knew that the other two would not approve. She probably shouldn't have, but here we are. She knew Andy didn't live very far from the bar, so it would be a short walk. No need to have anyone spotting Billy Joe's car, she knew exactly what she was planning to do and she didn't want him involved. The front light was on, so he had already made it home. She crept up the back porch. The door was unlocked. This was almost too easy. He was standing at the refrigerator drinking milk out of the carton. She didn't even think, she just aimed and pulled the trigger. She didn't want him to see her, if he did, she might have chickened out and she knew she had to get rid of him before he caused more trouble than he already had. She thought she heard something, so she quickly got the hell out of dodge, not even bothering to shut the door behind her. She decided to put the gun back where she found it at Jolene's in case big brother notices it missing and puts two & two together about Jolene. She returned back to the bar to find Billy Joe and Sherry in the parking lot. 

"We tried, but he left so angrily. There was no stopping him, he was drunk out of his mind and blind with rage. There is no telling what he's going to do, but he's heading home to 'deal with his wife'. He's going to freak the hell out." They all got into Bobby Joe's and decided to go home. They'd had enough excitement for the day and they needed rest. 

In the meantime, big brother had gone back home to straighten things out with Jolene. Instead, he was met with the letter on the kitchen table. His anger somehow mounted even more. He didn't know what else to, so he grabbed the gun by the door and made a bee-line for Andy's cabin. The light was on in the front, so he had to be home. There were shoe prints in the dusty yard leading up to the back porch. They looked too small to be Andy's though. Something didn't feel right to him. The back door was wide open, so he peeked through the screen. Andy was lying on the floor, blood surrounding him. He threw up all over the porch. There were headlights coming down the road, so he jumped out into the front yard and shot his pistol into the air to get their attention. 

"Son of a bitch" he whispered under his breath. He had inadvertently flagged down a state trooper! 

The patrolman got out of his car and sauntered over to him. "Is there a reason you're discharging your weapon, sir?" Brother tried to talk his way out of it, but it was no use. He was drunk, he had a gun, he kept stammering and slurring. The trooper knew something was up. "This your home?" Brother had decided that if he kept talking it would likely just make everything worse, so he shut up and didn't answer any of the officer's questions. "I'm going to take a peek around, you stay put." Of course, the cop found Andy, and of course, the cop arrested him. 

The next few weeks were a blur. The judge didn't even bother giving Sherry's cousin a fair trial and sentenced him to death right away. As if that weren't enough, Sherry's aunt dropped a bomb on them at dinner one night towards the end of Sherry's stay. "This morning, I heard some news from up at the Ridge. Apparently, Billy Joe McAlister jumped off of the Tallahatchie Bridge yesterday" Fancy went completely white. Her uncle seemed unphased and asked for the biscuits. "Oh, and also Brother Taylor accepted Sunday's dinner invitation, Fancy. He mentioned something odd though. He said he saw a girl at Choctaw Ridge who looked almost identical to you. Billy Joe and her were throwing something off the bridge." Fancy didn't say a word and didn't take a single bite. "Well, anyway it's a shame" 

The last night before Sherry was to go back home, Fancy sat her down to talk and ask her an important question. 

"Momma talked to me last night. She said she's sick, it's cancer, Sherry. Dad couldn't handle it, so he's left us too. Since big brother's already been hanged, there's nothing else for me here. Momma had an idea." She opened the closet and pulled out a red sequined dress. "She wants me to take the last of the money and ...make my way in the world." Sherry looked at her confused. "I don't understand" Fancy held her hands. "She wants me to become a 'lady of the night'" Sherry gasped "Okay, I'm not going to lie, that's half terrifying, but also kind of a great idea." 

"I know, I don't see another way either. So the question I have is can I go back with you to New Jersey? I won't be in the way, but I need to get out of here. I can start a new life." 

"Of course you can! We can sneak you into the trunk of my mom's car. I'm sure you won't have much to pack anyways." 

"It's a plan!" Sherry gave her cousin a handshake to seal the deal. Sherry was happy to go home and Fancy was happy to escape, even though she knew what she would have to do to survive. She knew she could do it though. Even though she had been born trailer trash, her name was still Fancy!


End file.
